Axle.



PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

R. V. LEE.

AXLE.

Ebb/ 3427 0? Zea 0 APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11,1908.

Qttomwy the accompanying drawings.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

RICHARD VALENTINE LEE, OF CALISTOGA, CALIFORNIA.

AXLE.

Application filed February 11,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD V. LEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Calistoga, in the county of N apa and State of Cali fornia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Axles, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to My inventionrelates to improvements in axles for the wheels of wagons and othervehicles and more articularly to means for lubricating the ax es andlocking their wheel retaining nuts.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction bymeans of which the axle may be quickly and easily lubricated withoutremoving the nut or the wheel from it and which will effectively lockthe nut so that it cannot possibly work loose and off of the axle.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel features of construction and the combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of myimproved vehicle axle; Figs. 2 and 3 are end views of the same; Fig. 4is a detail cross section taken on the plane indicated by the line 44 inFig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal section taken on the planeindicated by the line 55 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofthe pivoted locking member.

In the drawings 1 denotes a tapered spindle formed upon an axle 2 of avehicle or the like and having at its inner end an annular stop flangeor shoulder 23 and at its outer end a reduced screw threaded stem 4 forthe reception of a nut 5 which retains the wheel upon the spindle. Inthe latter is formed a longitudinally extending bore or chamber 6 and alongitudinally extending slit 7, which latter communicates with the bore6 and opens upon the exterior of the spindle as clearly shown in Figs. 1and l. The bore or chamber 6 is preferably arranged to one side of thevertical center of the axle spindle and the slit 7 is arranged as seenin Fig. 4:. Said bore 6 is also so disposed and of such size that aportion of it extends into or forms a longitudinal groove 8 in thethreaded stem 4 as will be noted upon reference to Figs. 3 and 5. Thenut 5 is formed with a longitudinal opening 9 which is so located thatwhen the nut is screwed up upon'the stem and against Patented July '7,1908.

1908. Serial No. 415,394.

the shoulder at the end of the spindle, formed by reducing it to providethe stem, said. opening 9 will register with and form a continuation ofthe bore 6 and the groove 8. By constructing the spindle and nut in thismanner it will be seen that grease or other lubricant may be readilyforced into the bore 6 by inserting the mouth piece or tube of asuitable injecting device in the opening 9 in the nut and then operatingsuch device. When this is done, the grease will be forced through theslit 7 so as to lubricate the axle and the wheel thereon. For thepurpose of closing the outer end of the lubricating bore or chamber toprevent the entrance of dust and dirt and for the further purpose oflock ing the nut against rotation upon the axle, I provide a pin or plug10 which is adapted to snugly fit the opening 9 in the nut and thegroove or notch 8 in the stem t, as will be seen upon reference to Fig.5. This plug may be retained in its operative position in any suitablemanner but I preferably mount it upon a spring member 11 in the form ofa flat resilient plate which is pivoted by a screw or the like 12 uponthe outer face of the nut. The plug 10 is attached to the free end ofthe spring plate 11, preferably, by forming it with a reduced shank 13which is inserted in an opening formed in saidv spring plate and whichis apertured to receive a ring 14, the latter serving both to retain theshank in the aperture and as a finger piece by means of which theclosure and locking member may be operated. The resiliency of the plate11 serves to hold the plug 10 in the opening 9 to close the latter andthe bore 6 and to also lock the nut against rotation upon the stem l,owing to the engagement of said plug with the groove 8; and theresiliency of said plate 11 also permits of the ready removal of theplug from the opening 9 when it is desired to unlock the nut and tolubricate the axle. It will be seen that by grasping the finger piece orring 14 and pulling outwardly upon. the same the plug 10 may bedisengaged from the nut and by then swinging the plate to one side, asshown in Fig. 3, the opening 9 in the nut will be exposed to permit ofthe insertion of the grease injecting device.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. An axle having a spindle provided with an externally screw threadedstem and a longitudinally extending, eccentrically disposed bore orchamber for a lubricant, said bore or chamber having a portion extendingthrough the threaded end of the spindle, a nut having a screw threadedbore to engage the threaded end of the spindle, said bore of the nutbeing formed with a longitudinal groove to aline with the bore orchamber in the s indle and a removable plug to project part y into thegroove in the bore of the nut and partly into the bore or chamber in theend of the spindle to simultaneously lock the nut against rotation uponthe spindle and to prevent the escape of the lubricant.

2. An axle having a spindle provided with an externally screw threadedstem and a longitudinally extending, eccentrically disposed bore orchamber for a lubricant, said bore or chamber having a portion extendingthrough the threaded end of the spindle, a nut having a screw threadedbore to engage the threaded end of the spindle, said bore of the nutbeing formed with a longitudinal groove to aline with the bore orchamber in the spindle, a removable plug to project partly into thegroove in the bore of the nut and partly into the bore or chamber in theend of the spin dle to simultaneously lock the nut against rotation'uponthe spindle and to prevent the escape of the lubricant, and means forattaching said plug to the nut.

3. An axle having a spindle provided with an externally screw threadedstem and a longitudinally extending, eccentrically disposed bore orchamber for a lubricant, said bore or chamber having a portion extendingthrough the threaded end of the spindle, a nut having a screw threadedbore to engage the threaded end of the spindle, said bore of the nutbeing formed with a longitudinal groove to aline with the bore orchamber in the spindle, a re movable plug to project partly into thegroove in the bore of the nut and partly into the bore or chamber in theend of the spindle to simultaneously lock the nut against rotation uponthe spindle and to prevent the escape of the lubricant, and a resilientmemher for supporting said plug.

4. An axle having a spindle provided with a reduced stem and alongitudinally extending bore or chamber for a lubricant, a portion ofsaid bore extending through the stem, a nut upon the stem having anopening to register with said bore in the spindle, a pivoted spring uponthe nut and a plug carried by said spring and adapted to enter theopening in the nut to close said opening and lock the nut againstrotation.

5. An axle having a spindle formed with a reduced screw threaded stemand with a longitudinally extending bore and a longitudinally extendingslit in communication with the bore and opening upon the exterior of thespindle, said stem being formed with a longitudinal groove to form acontinuation of a portion of the bore in the spindle, a nut upon saidstem formed with a longitudinal opening to register with the bore in thespindle, a spring pivoted upon the nut and a plug carried by the springand adapted to enter the opening in the nut and the groove in said stem,for the purpose set forth.

6. An axle having a spindle provided with an externally screw threadedstem and a longitudinally extending, eccentrically disposed bore orchamber for a lubricant, said bore or chamber having a portion extendingthrough the threaded end 01 the spindle, a nut having a screw threadedbore to engage the threaded end of the spindle, said bore of the nutbeing formed with a longitudinal groove to aline with the bore orchamber in the spindle, a removable plug to project partly into thegroove in the bore of the nut and partly into the bore or chamber in theend of the spindle to simultaneously lock the nut against rotation uponthe spindle and to prevent the escape of the lubricant, and a pivotedmember for supporting said plug.

7. An axle having a spindle provided with an externally screw threadedstem and a longitudinally extending, eccentrically disposed bore orchamber for a lubricant, said bore or chamber having a portion extendingthrough the threaded end of the spindle, a nut having a screw threadedbore to engage the threaded end of the spindle, said bore of the nutbeing formed with longitudinal groove to aline with the bore or chamberin the spindle, a removable plug to project partly into the groove inthe bore of the nut and partly into the bore or chamber in the end ofthe spindle to simultaneously lock the nut against rotation upon thespindle and to prevent the escape of the lubricant, and a pivotallymounted resilient supporting member having the plug attached to its freeend.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

RICHARD VALENTINE LEE.

lVitnesses:

FRANK S. CROUCH, G. S. CRUsoN.

